iHealthRecord, an online health information resource launched in 2005, has great potential in terms of efficiency in case of emergency or simply when changing general practitioners. The new system allows patients to see, change and share medical records on the Internet through a service launched by a company set up by a coalition of professional medical groups.

The service is a secure, confidential interactive personal health record that not only stores personal health information for patients but also provides interactive programmes that help people to better understand medical conditions and medications, all at no cost to patients. iHealthRecord will permit patients to control their own records while allowing doctors vital access when they need it, eventually reducing the risks of mistakes, such as prescribing errors. It is hoped that the service can provide a way to replace thick medical charts and swap information without the need for costly, time-consuming office visits.

Impact:

iHealthRecord could be a first step to transforming the ponderous, mistake-prone, paper-based United States medical records system into an efficient, digital structure, reducing medical errors and saving lives regardless of whether patients move or change health plans or doctors. The system is designed to minimize the risk that hackers could view patient records. However, there is a very small probability that patients could falsify online records if they wished or create phony profiles even if the real risk is very low.